Diabetes with a smile–

health

It’s coming folks — the 4th of July! A great day for those of us in the U.S.A. who have so much to be grateful for. Parades, ceremonies, and then the Sacred Barbecue! Who doesn’t like a good BBQ? Fire up those grills.

Be sure to add a salad to your plate. I’m talking about a green salad — beware of the potato and macaroni salad, pasta salads that will shoot up your blood sugar. Not worth it — watch out for the carbs and add the proteins instead.

BEST THING TO DO BEFORE YOU LEAVE YOUR HOME TO GO TO THE BBQ = Drink an 8oz glass of water and have a healthy snack. By doing that, you won’t be “famished” when you arrive and overwhelmed by the temptation.

I’m watching The Academy Awards. I love to watch the Oscar nominees, winners, and the tiny snippets of films that have been made in the past year.

These are an incredible group of people who work hard every day, studying, practicing, striving to do their personal best. They overcome obstacles in their work and in their lives and THEY REACH THEIR GOALS!

So do WE. Every minute of each day, Type 2 Diabetics go through the exact same process — we work hard everyday to stay on track (sometimes just to get on track!). We study and learn as much as we can about diabetes (“Know Thine Enemy”), so that we can fight it, beat it, and sometimes just get along with it. We practice, using the tools we have, to get and stay healthy — and then, we do our personal best — even though sometimes it’s not good enough.

At the end of my last post, I promised to discuss alternatives to those sugary, sweet, delectable, delicious, chocolate delights. You know the ones — that fill a box the size of New Jersey and are the shape of a beautifully wrapped red heart! Marketing gurus would have us believe that this product symbolizes LOVE, and is obligatory. You’re too smart for that.

LOVE is defined, in the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary, as “a feeling of constant affection for a person.” Dictionary.com refers to LOVE as “a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.” Lastly, and MY all time favorite definition of LOVE is from the Urban Dictionary — “Love is nature’s way of tricking people into reproducing.” (Anonymous, April 7, 2003) 🙂 Now THAT’S funny! 🙂

So, I’ve given you a few of the ways love is defined and NOWHERE is a heart-shaped box of candy mentioned. NOWHERE!

My goal in writing today’s post, is to speak to the issue of alternatives to candy, heart-shaped cakes, cookies, and the like. I’ll give you some HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES to expressing one’s undying love for another that won’t raise anyone’s BLOOD SUGAR.

What says I LOVE YOU more deeply than showing someone that their HEALTH is more important to you than anything else? Here are a few GLUCOSE-FREE IDEAS that will fare as a much better symbol of your LOVE than a box of chocolates: (Drum roll, please) —

For the WRITER in your life, consider a RUBY-RED JOURNAL — maybe paired with a beautiful RED PEN! (I see that as “gender-neutral”)

FLOWERS, of course. By the way, they don’t HAVE to be red but, for some reason, that color seems to get the message across on this “particular” day.

For theMAN in your life — you know exactly what his likes and dislikes are: TICKETS TO A SPORTING EVENT, CAR/BOAT SHOW, MUSIC., etc., etc. (I know you KNOW! — and you can show you’re love by being sure they’re GLUCOSE FREE!

Some GLUCOSE FREE ideas for that special WOMAN you hold near and dear:

A beautiful, bright red, leather PURSE (or maybe GLOVES? That will get you some Ooo’s and Ahh’s. What says LOVE better than leather???

LINGERIE — RED, of course. (Hmmm. Who’s that gift really for?) 🙂

A gift certificate for a MANICURE/PEDICURE — with a bottle of a beautiful shade of red nail polish (chosen by you) attached to it.

It’s easy to SAY, “I love you,” but not always as easy to SHOW it. One important factor to consider is your budget — stay within it! There’s nothing sexy about debt.

Oops! I almost forgot. If you have children (yours or someone else’s) to whom you wish to express your LOVE, there are a zillion ways to choose GLUCOSE FREE gifts for them. Whether they’re diabetic or not, nobody needs junk food. Cruise around any department store, there are hearts everywhere!!! Oh, and remember, BOOKS are always a great gift for ANYONE!

For those of you who feel that Valentine’s Day is a bourgeois symbol of LOVE, a Hallmark Holiday, or one created by the chocolate companies, you may be right! But, be careful — be sure you’re both on the same page… for love — IS — in the air!

Get on it, folks. The “big” day is just around the corner.

Oh, and one more suggestion — a nice walk, with the one you love, at the end of the evening = sheer joy!

Crocheting is great. I didn’t say I’m great at it, but I love doing it! I’ve managed to make afghans and throws for babies and adults, scarves (straight and infinity), and head/ear warmers. That’s about it. Nothing fancy — no sweaters or hats, not yet anyway. I love the colors and sizes of the various yarns — chunky may be my fave. It’s great to engage in a night of crocheting, sans food. It means I’ve moved toward completion of a gift, or something for myself, without “moving” food down my throat. That’s a good thing!

Large crocheted afghanCrocheted Ear Warmers

I belong to a small group called the “Crafty Bitches.” Truth is, sometimes we craft, sometimes we bitch, sometimes we do both. It’s great just to sit with some friends, talking and crocheting, most of all laughing. We made a pact when we started the group, years ago, that no food would be consumed when we met, and with very few exceptions, we’ve stuck to our plan. Yea, us!

Last year, I decided I wanted to learn to quilt. NOT hand-quilting. Let’s not get carried away. I have an ancient sewing machine that’s heavy, and pretty much dead; so, I bought an inexpensive machine that came with a video (awesome bonus), and I was off and running. God Bless YouTube! I started with a rag quilt; couldn’t be easier. To date, I’ve made five — all for babies. One is an “I Spy” quilt (You know, I Spy a truck, I Spy a butterfly, I Spy…). I’m working on it now for a friend’s grandson. I’ll send it with a list of things the child can find on it — pretty cool. There’s no way I can, or would, eat while doing this; I wouldn’t want to ruin it.

Rag Quilt (SOOO easy!)Rag Quiltw/Alternating Strips

In November of this year, I decided to learn beading. While shopping, I almost always end up looking for a bargain in the jewelry section, particularly bracelets and earrings. I can do this! …and so it always begins. Again, what would I do without YouTube? I made bracelets and earrings for the masses; wrapped them up, and voila, Christmas presents. Unless they were pulling my leg, the jewelry was a big hit. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be, but I kept it simple, and with the right colors and a touch of bling, I created jewelry that would rival Tiffany’s! O.K., that’s totally untrue; but, they were pretty good and fun to do. Most importantly, I couldn’t eat and bead, lest I devour an earring or two.

Beading, crocheting, and quilting, are projects that have helped to keep me OUT of the kitchen. I can thank them for assisting me in managing my numbers. I can attest that “crafting helps to keep diabetes under control.” 🙂

Seriously, I hope that you can see there’s some truth to what I’m saying. There’s lots more in the realm of crafting andDIY-ing that I’ll discuss in future posts; relating it to the control of my diabetes, of course.

This Dedicated Diabetic is hoping that you’re staying on track towards a healthy lifestyle.

Posted by K Keevins at 11:30 PM 2 comments:

A War is Won, One Battle at a Time

Last week I saw an ad in the paper for a free seminar on Diabetes. There’s always something new to learn, right? I was suspicious, because it didn’t take place in a hospital. I figured the doctor was probably hawking a book, but I’m o.k. with that, so I went with my mind wide open.

The event was held in a hotel — stop laughing. LOL, I did too 🙂
The room was packed, I took the only seat left. Never, and I mean never, have I ever heard anyone speak so fast — I’m talking auction speed! Some of the terms he spit out were, “concierge medicine, supplements, medications.” I listened anyway.

After his spiel, which lasted an hour, I filed away one important statement. It was a fact that I already knew. It wasn’t what he said, it was HOW he said it. Bluntly.

He was right. His words slapped me right across the face. Hard, really hard.

Driving home, I felt sad. Quickly, my sadness changed to motivation. This take-away was exactly what I needed. Time to move forward. I removed the word “cheat” from my vocabulary.

Diabetes is no joke.

Recently, my struggle has been increasingly difficult. Shopping, any type of shopping, is torture. You know what I mean. Almost every store has candy at the register. Think about it; the hardware store, the craft store, clothing store. Why? WHY? I venture in to buy a screwdriver, but the sweet-stuff is always there! It’s calling my name — Kathy, one piece won’t hurt. You know you want me! My mouth is watering, and it’s not over the screwdriver. I bite my lip (a sure sign I’m about to slip), my nostrils flare (I really want to smell it; just smell it). It’s so hard to stay on track.

It’s true. It can be torture; but I’m determined. My feet trump junk food. Here’s my plan: DON’T EVEN LOOK. If there are magazines, read the covers. FOCUS on the purchase, not the surrounding temptations. Finally, cha-ching, my item(s) paid for, and I’ve made it out of the store without caving into temptation. Another battle won!

Nobody ever told me this would be easy. I don’t know about you, but I never thought it would be this much of a challenge. Now, with my renovated attitude, do you know what I say to that moaning and groaning? Tough! Just DO it, Kathy. I’m well aware that my quality of life, my life, is at stake.